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Review: Innsmouth Magazine Issue 8

Innsmouth Magazine presents six varied tales of terror inspired by the work of H P Lovecraft. All are chilling, involving and sometimes challenging, collecting ancient and present day horrors, trippily surreal narratives and some truly sublime moments. All unconventional, certainly worth a look.

The Second Sphinx by Rebecca Stefoff

Set during the Napoleonic Wars, this ghoulish tale of an ill-fated expedition into Egypt summons up an atmosphere of dread, the dry decay of history and the sloppier remains of ancient and bloodthirsty races. Channelling the spirit of classic Lovecraft, this is an excellent start to the collection.

Graffito Flow by W. H. Pugmire

A grieving man takes a hallucinogenic trip through his ancient city that might not even be in our world. Creepy, though at times confusing, that patch on the wall may not be all it seems, but remember that the moon means madness. Highly atmospheric and very effective.

We Are All Ghosts by Peter Darbyshire

A great idea here. The sole survivor of a disastrous mission to a hidden city becomes a superhero. Kind of. A nice riff on the Mountains of Madness, and taken to impressively apocalyptic levels. Some spirits just won’t stay buried.

And Out Came Words of Fire by Paul Jessup

Another story set in an ancient world, or possibly another dimension. When a plague of words starts to unravel reality, can the fabric between worlds be stitched back into place? Mind-bending stuff, and truly otherworldly.

Curvature of the Witch House by Wendy N Wagner

The title is clearly inspired by the classic ‘Dreams of the Witch House’ but this is far stranger. A professor loses herself in the madness of mathematics and the Gawing of crows. Short, and pleasingly strange.

We Can Watch the White Doves Go by T J McIntyre

A mountainside camping trip coincides with a horrible invasion. Gruesome imagery, great characters. In tone reminiscent of the Mist, or the Thing, this would make an excellent horror film on its own. Very strong finish to this collection.

A great variety of stories from the dark side on show here, and each one is well worth a look. Any fan of H. P. Lovecraft fan should also be all over this collection. Highly recommended.